Myriad Harbour

Over the course of the last year, I have had to answer the question “how do you describe yourself” numerous times. I generally have a stock answer-witty, funny, smart, and dependable. However, I recently started to think about that question more.

How do I describe myself?

Do I use my roles? In that case, I am a mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend, employee, boss, coworker, volunteer, rabble rouser.

Do I use physical characteristics? I am medium height, large framed with wide shoulders and hips. I am big chested, big bellied and big legged. I have brownish auburnish hair, with greenish hazelish eyes. I have my grandmother’s high cheekbones and my mother’s nose. I was gifted good skin, and I don’t have many wrinkles. I am, by the medical definition, obese. By my definition, I am curvy.

Do I use hobbies and pursuits? I am a yogi. I am a quilter, sewer, crocheter, needlepointer, scrap booker. I am a chef. I am a runner and dancer. I am a reader. I am a writer. I am a tennis player, softball player and golfer. I am a hiker, kayaker and nature buff. I am a cyclist. I am a neophyte painter and sculptor. I am a poet. I blog. I garden.

Do I use geographic constraints? I am a Jersey girl. I live on the northern plains.

Do I use ethnic heritage? I am a mix of English, Scotch and Irish on my father’s side. On my mother’s side I am Austrian, Hungarian and Czech. I am a Euro mutt.

Do I use my personal tastes to describe myself? I love documentaries and classic movies. I am an art buff, and especially enjoy Pre-Raphaelite and modern art. I like sculpture. I like non fiction. I like going out dancing and eating ethnic food. I like going to a bookstore and browsing. I like occasionally going off to the woods for a stroll through nature. I like riding my bike on the trail or kayaking on a gentle river. I like attending lectures and learning. I like being around like minded people. I love dogs and cats but love my dog the best.

Do I use my favorite foods to describe me? I love ethnic foods. I am a falafel eating, shwerma slurping, pho pursuing, and sushi stickler. Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, Italian done right rocks my world. I enjoy trying new things and being a culinary daredevil. I love vegetables and fruits. Browsing the farmers market is a passion for me. I eat chex mix because it’s addicting. I can handle tofu with everything.

Do I use my pet causes to define me? I support women’s rights. I am a tireless advocate to stop violence against women and children. I am a foster parent. I raise holy heck to give autistic children and adults a voice. I lobby for nature and animals. I want the world to be a better place. I have worked for years as a rabble rouser for the homeless and hungry.

Does my faith define me? I find God all around me, but most especially in nature. I am an Episcopalian. I follow a Celtic path towards spiritual practice. I am undisciplined and raw. The Creed tells you what I believe, Matthew 25 and Micah 6 tells you what I do.

Do I describe myself through my clothing and accessories? I love tights and leggings and boots. My wardrobe choices revolve around neutrals. I love slouchy sweaters. Vintage finds are some sort of high for me. I love designer purses. Heels make me feel like a supermodel. I love jewelry and wear a lot of it. Scarves are a second favorite fashion choice. I also like hats-berets, cloche, newsboy caps. I am a hipster.

Are my beverage choices a defining characteristic? I love coffee and espresso. Tea, especially Earl Grey or Pomegranate Green are my choices on a rainy day. For soda I like Blue Sky or Pellegrino Blood Orange, but wind up drinking coke or diet Dr. Pepper. Raspberry lemonade is another favorite. If I were a drinking woman, I like wine, especially pinot grigio and white zinfandel. My choice of beer is Sam Adams or a microbrewery. I like Malibu & pineapple, margaritas, long island iced tea or amaretto sours when I am “drinking”.

Does my make up mark me? I wear it daily, but in neutral colors. I do not like to look made up. I do, however, love bold red lips. I’d scrimp on all else for that. I like getting manicures and pedicures done. Painted nails (toes and fingers) are a must for me.

What about my politics? Is that who I am? I care deeply about education, women’s health and the environment. Issues around poverty and civil rights intertwine with my religious convictions. I believe in the Constitution.

Does my volunteer work define me? I am involved with mentoring and teaching, both adults through the Women’s Leadership program and children through Junior Achievement and Lutheran Social Services. I am an advocate for children as a foster parent, volunteer for the March of Dimes and through our PTO. I help clean up at church and the local parks. I serve meals in a soup kitchen and sew blankets for children in the hospital. I crochet scarves and hats for the homeless. I raise money for cancer. I read to children. I donate food to food pantries and animal shelters.

How does community involvement explain you? I am a Kiwanis and a Junior Leaguer. I am part of the women’s guild at church. I belong to the League of Women Voters. I am a class parent. I pick up trash in the supermarket parking lot, just because it makes the world a better place. I buy cookies from girl scouts and lemonade from stands when I can.

What about what I watch on TV? I always appreciated a good ghost story, so it’s no surprise that it’s still my top preference to watch. I like PBS, especially Frontline, the American Experience, Nova and Nature. I am a history buff, so I like to watch the history and Nat Geo channels. I do watch a lot of sports.

Sports? Yea or nay? I love football, and am just as crazy as the guy next to you in the sports bar. I also am passionate about baseball. I golf, just not well. I play tennis to win, and have quite the serve. I am extremely competitive, and look for opportunities to win.

What games define you? I love scrabble, and obsess over words with friends now. I like Chinese checkers and gin rummy. I try to play bridge, but I am just awful. I love backgammon, but currently have no one to play against. I try to play video games, but I just don’t enjoy them.

Would people “know” you by looking at your music collection? Of course-because I am as eclectic as my musical taste, from ABBA to Frank Zappa, with many stops in between. I like jazz, blues, classical, world, and mostly indie/alternative/punk. My all time favorite bands are the Clash, the Replacements, Leonard Cohen, the Smiths, Tori Amos and Bon Jovi (I am a Jersey girl). I always have music on, and what I listen to is a cue into what my mood or frame of mind is. When I write, I prefer world music or Leonard Cohen. When I need a pick me up, I crank up the energy level. If I need to chill out, I listen to trance music. I honestly do have my own personal soundtrack.

What do you read and what does that say about you? I read mostly non-fiction. I love history and tend to read a lot about that, especially medieval and renaissance as well as the American Revolution and post WWII eras. There are a few authors that I read just about anything they write-Jonathan Kellerman, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, PD James. Other particular fiction I’ve read recently that touched me were Water for Elephants, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and Eyre Affair. My all time favorite book is Catcher in the Rye, the Great Gatsby being a close second. I would have loved to be a Zelda to a F. Scott despite the drunken debauchery and madness. I read the New York Times and Atlantic. Websites I obsess over include the Rumpus, Hairpin, Gawker, Brooklyn Vegan, Pitchfork, Episcopal Café and Daily Cup of Yoga. Magazines are still a big part of my life, including Yoga Journal, Vanity Fair, Weird NJ, Rolling Stone, Shape, Whole Living and Martha Stewart. I read on my phone voraciously.

Social media profiles? Yep, it’s all about me. I follow a lot of clergy, cooks and yogis on Twitter, with a smattering of people I really know, plus a variety of news outlets. All my Facebook friends I know off the web, and it’s just a tool to keep in touch. I am on Instagram, sharing photos and uploading videos of my son to You Tube. I share where I go on 4Square. Viggle lets me tell you what I watch, Nexercise shares how I work out and the Eatery tells you what I eat. Insight Timer shares my meditations with you, and the Bible app tells you what I am reading. My horoscope will tell you if the stars think my day will be good, or not. Trensy lets you know how I’m saving the world one thing at a time. Bloom and Vojo tell you how I am mentally taking care of myself and my soul.

Is it about what organizations I support? I write letters for Amnesty International. I support the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and PETA. I advocate for One. I vote with my pocket book-Subway supports Michael Vick, so I don’t eat there. I give time, talent and treasure to organizations that are related to cancer and autism, as well as the environment. I have been a member of NOW since I was a teen. My wallet and heart tells me to support ERD, South Sudan Project and organizations that work with domestic violence and rape survivors, including RAINN and V-Day. I support NARAL and Planned Parenthood. Animal shelters get me every time, and I can’t say no to puppy dogs and kitty cats. The Humane Society ads with Sarah McLachlan make me cry every time. The March of Dimes and the Heart Association get the best of me because I owe so much to them.

What about the movies you watch? Is that a definition of you? I like documentaries. I do, just like I like non-fiction and watch non fiction TV. I do like a well constructed drama, and I love Monty Python and Mel Brooks. Those last two are a direct result of my dad, who introduced me to them and they are sacred. I love old movies, because I used to watch them with my grandmother. There are movies that were cultural touch points for me-Breakfast Club, Lost Boys, Star Wars, Indiana Jones-that were about my youth and teens. Few movies do that for me now. I think Baz Luhrman’s movies like Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge come close. I couldn’t tell you the last few wide release movies that I have seen that I really liked. I used to be a movie buff, but not so much anymore. If its on Sundance or IFC, chances are I’d like it.

So, I suppose that there is more to me than just being witty, funny, dependable and smart.